Exprimer la Quantité — beaucoup de, quelques, trop de | French Grammar
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From “a little” to “too much” — always with DE. This guide explains Exprimer la Quantité in French with clear rules, real examples and practice for every CEFR level. For instance: « un peu de sucre » — a little sugar.
Exprimer la Quantité
From “a little” to “too much” — always with DE
1. Les expressions + DE
| Expression | Exemple | Traduction |
|---|---|---|
| un peu de | un peu de sucre | a little sugar |
| beaucoup de | beaucoup de travail | a lot of work |
| trop de | trop de bruit | too much noise |
| assez de | assez de temps | enough time |
| plus / moins de | plus de café, moins de sel | more coffee, less salt |
| autant de | autant de chance | as much luck |
2. Avec des nombres flous
| Expression | Exemple | Traduction |
|---|---|---|
| quelques | quelques amis | a few friends |
| plusieurs | plusieurs fois | several times |
| une dizaine / une centaine de | une dizaine de personnes | about ten people |
| la plupart de + article ! | la plupart des gens | most people |
💡 La règle d’or
After a quantity word → always bare de / d’ (never du / de la / des) : beaucoup de fruits ✅, beaucoup des fruits ❌.
TWO exceptions that keep the article : la plupart des gens, bien des fois.
quelques (a few, countable) vs un peu de (a little, uncountable) : quelques amis · un peu d’eau.
📚 Free French lessons at learnfrench.co
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
beaucoup ___ amis (the golden rule)
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d’
a few books = ___ livres (countable)
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quelques
most people = la plupart ___ gens (exception!)
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des
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🎯 More practice — translation — put it into French
Translate into French: « There’s too much salt in the soup. » (translation)
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Il y a trop de sel dans la soupe.
Translate into French: « I have a few questions. » (translation)
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J’ai quelques questions.
Translate into French: « Most French people love cheese. » (translation)
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La plupart des Français aiment le fromage.
Go further: get the full picture in our guide 7 common French mistakes English speakers make.
Exprimer la Quantité in French — FAQ
How do you use Exprimer la Quantité in French?
From “a little” to “too much” — always with DE. Follow the rules and patterns in the lesson above, and practise with real sentences like « un peu de sucre » (a little sugar).
Can you give an example of Exprimer la Quantité in French?
Yes — « un peu de sucre » means « a little sugar », and « beaucoup de travail » means « a lot of work ». The lesson above has many more examples with explanations.
What CEFR level is Exprimer la Quantité?
This topic is introduced around A2 and refined at higher levels — pick your level from the links at the top of the page. You can also drill it with the interactive exercises and games below.
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4 quick questions on « Exprimer la Quantité » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →